App-based car-hire start-up Uber is launching a dedicated courier service Tuesday, starting in Manhattan. “It’s an Uber for things,” said Josh Mohrer, general manager of Uber NYC. The new service, called UberRUSH, uses a courier on foot or on bike to deliver a package from anywhere in Manhattan to anywhere else, for between $15 and $30, depending on the the distance traveled in the city, Mohrer said. In most cases, delivery would take under an hour, he said. The app, available Tuesday, also lets parties on both ends of the transaction track the progress of the courier in real time. Mohrer wouldn’t say how many couriers Uber has hired right now, but that the company intends to “always have enough” people. The service will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company plans to roll it out to other cities.

Mayor Bloomberg’s government is often finding ways to keep The Big Apple as connected to the internet as can be. Tuesday, in an effort to bring more connectivity options to its residents (and tourists), the City of New York announced that it’s teaming up with Cablevision and Time Warner Cable to add WiFi hotspots to 32 parks across the five boroughs. Of course, these will be available in addition to free services already provided by companies such as AT&T in select parts of the city. Unlike with similar offerings, however, these new hotspots will require potential users to be Cablevision Optimum Online or Time Warner Cable broadband subscribers in order to get free access. Those who have the proper credentials will be able to connect gratis via a WiFi-enabled device anytime, while non-subscribers can do so at no cost for up to 30 minutes every 30 days, or for 99 cents per day.